Cellular iron pavement



UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

S. H. TITUS AND O. DES GRANGES, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CELLULAR IRON PAVEMENT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18,417, dated October 13, 1857; Ressued May 1, 1860, No. 957.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that we, S. H. TITUS and OT'ro DES GRANGES, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Shape for Metallic Pavements; and we do declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the lettersfof reference marked thereon, making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan as seen from above, Fig. 2 is a side elevation, Fig. 3 is a section' through the dotted line a, and Fig. a is a perspective view of one of the blocks.

Letters -gin Figs. l and 3 indicate the metallic ribs, and letters *lL- in the same figure indicate the hollow compartments of cells of the block. The metallic ribs, as seen in Fig. 3, are made thinner in the lower part, with a shoulder marked S in Fig. 3. Where the pavement is laid on a firm foundation, the cells may be filled in any convenient way, but where there is no firm foundation the cells should be filled with a hard concrete, in order that the shoulder -S may bear on the masses of concrete that lill the cells, thereby preventing the metallic ribs from cutting into the ground and the pavement from settling down. The blocks may be one foot square, or more or less according to circumstances, and are divided, by the ribs -ginto compartments or cells -L- of a six sided form, or any other form answering the purposes hereinafter described. We have given preference to the siX sided form for the cells, for the reasons, that this form is most economical, giving a greater strength to the blocks, with a given quantity of metal, and that it produces no long continuous straight lines that a horse could slip on, and also that it is a good and convenient form for the outer rib or periphery of the block, which by its projections and recesses forms the jointure of the blocks. The lower part of the periphery of the block is square, while the upper part of the periphery of the block is composed of projections and recesses, which are produced by the siX sided or other shaped compartments or cells into which the block is divided by the ribs. The jointure of the blocks is made by placing them together so that the projecting parts 0* in Figs. l, 2, and 3 of the first block shall rest on the edge of the square part of the periphery, in the recess CZ- of the second block, which will bring the projecting parts -cof the second block to bear on the square part of the periphery, in the recesses 6L- of the first block, whereby either is prevented from moving upward or downward separately.

We are aware that blocks of metallic pavement have been made in a variety of cellular forms and that the periphery of the blocks have been constructed in many different forms, or shapes for the purpose of joining them together. But none of them have yet succeeded in fulfilling all the requirements or overcoming all the objections. The conditions necessary to be complied with are, that the joint must be equal in strength to the rest of the pavement, that it must yield to the frost without injury, and must be so jointed that one block cannot sink without carrying the contiguous one with it, and finally, it must be cheap, so that its great expense will not prevent its being used. Now we claim that the joint of our pavement fulfils all these conditions. It is as strong as the body of the block, it will yield to the frost underneath without injury, no weight concentrated on any one block will cause it to sink without either breaking it or carrying the others with it, and that no other form of joint can be made that will give the same strength with the same amount of material, and is therefore the cheapest pavement that has thus far been produced from metal. Now the merit of this pavement depends on the joint and the joint depends on the construction of the periphery of the block.

We are aware that cellular pavement has been constructed in blocks similar to ours so that when joined the pavement presents a continuity of figure, but at the point of junction the figures constituting the cells are cast in sections, thereby weakening the same, and rendering them liable to be broken by use. We do not therefore claim 10 the same upon the adjoining block, and

thereby distributing the superincumbent weight, equally along the Whole side of the block, substantially in the form and manner herein described.

S. H. TITUS. O. DES GRANGES.

fitnesses W M. G. l/VEBB, D. S. BIGHAM.

[Fnzsr PRINTED 1912.] 

